Students for understanding – a European media project Erasmus Project

Project Title

Students for understanding – a European media project

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Inclusion – equity; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)

Project Summary

CONTEXT/BACKGROUND:
According to the newest studies from the European Commission as well as the results of nation-wide research, Europe is not a matter that is dear to the continent’s youth. When answering what Europe meant to them, thirty-six percent answered that Europe was, first and foremost, a necessary construct. For eighteen percent of the respondents, Europe was no more than the name of a continent. Another nine percent considered Europe to be a historical illusion, or system of rule. A fundamental problem in political Europe appears to be the scant identification with Europe that exists amongst the younger generation.
To change this fact in our schools, we have created our project “Erasmus+ Mediaproject: Students for understanding”. This project should strengthen both the participants’ concept of Europe and their identification with Europe, but also enable a personal discussion about realities in their own lives.
The collective end product highlights similarities and differences found in European life of teenagers across our four countries. A documental film with interview sequences has come into being that contains parts from each of the four participating nations, prepared, designed, and compiled collectively by the students. The four topics that were chosen are: 1. What am I proud of in my region? 2. Relationships 3. School systems 4. Future plans.

PARTNERS:
The partnership among the four schools results from the TCA (Transnational Cooperation Activity) held in Málaga in November 2016. The four partners are:
EUROPASCHULE RÖVERSHAGEN (Germany), IESO LA PAZ (Spain), ESTETISKA SKOLAN (Sweden), COLLÈGE ANDRÉ MALRAUX (France)

OBJECTIVES:
Along with developing the participants’ linguistic skills, this project also focuses on European youth’s understanding of the aforementioned aspects. Thus, the notion of inclusion was in place through:
– the gathering of heterogeneous groups of students in each of the four schools
– the discussion of realities in individuals’ lives
– the collaborative creation of the film
– the multinational exchange between adolescents from partner countries
– Approaching to diversity of teenagers across borders (Students will know about other students with different social/economical background, different culture,
environment, beliefs, special needs, religions, problems, languages, etc.)

Other objectives:
– heightening the awareness of the concept “Europe”
– improving the digital competences among the students (advancing their understanding of modern technologies and multimedia as they creatively used these
tools to develop and mold a script for this project)
– raising of motivation for learning and understanding about each other
– exchange of practices between teachers about how to teach the diversity

While participating in this project and interacting with each other, youth of all education streams, social backgrounds, aptitudes, and needs were inspired to reflect on their own realities and place in the world. In this process, a focus on respect and tolerance for the actions and personalities of each group coming from each participating school was an important theme for the students as they got into contact with other adolescents from across Europe.

PARTICIPANTS:
The project has affected the entire educational community of all partner schools.
– Around 50 different students have participated in each of the four transnational meetings
– as often as possible students were chosen with a difficult background (for example: financial problems, cultural differences, educational difficulties, social obstacles) to highlight the thought of inclusion of this project
– each school created a project course in which about 30-60 students (per country) worked actively at creating the movie
– a lot more students were effected through other activities of this projects or by attending some of the workshops offered

ACTIVITIES:
– Five transnational meetings were held (one with the coordinating teachers only, the other four with students), one in each country, where important parts of the movie were produced.
– Many other activities were conducted during and between the meetings (e.g. art projects, dance projects, photography workshops, cross-cultural dialogues, choir concert and many more.)
– a pen pal project has been created among the four countries with about 150 students participating and exchanging letters

RESULTS:
Our main result is our final movie about the lives of teenagers in four different countries titled “Four nations: One union”. However, there are also many other smaller video projects that were created during the course of two years. All of the results can be found on the E+ PRP, our youtube channel (Erasmus Mediaproject) and our project blog (http://erasmusmediaproject.blogspot.com/). All of the created videos, especially the final movie project, can be used for educational purposes in our and other schools.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 102455 Eur

Project Coordinator

Europaschule Rövershagen & Country: DE

Project Partners

• COLLEGE ANDRE MALRAUX
• IESO LA PAZ
• Ideella föreningen Estetiska skolan